Design in Àwòrán Òwe: An Enhanced Artistic Engagement for Young Audience on Social Media
Innovations in the digital field have transformed the educational field, especially
among children whose learning habits are becoming affected by social networking
sites like Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp. In this regard, the issue of conservation
of indigenous knowledge has taken center stage with the current culture of
transmission of knowledge through traditional means being eroded by the new
generation. In this paper, I introduce Àwòrán Òwe (Proverbs in Pictures) a current
research and creative experiment aimed at teaching children Yoruba proverbs using
visual design, illustration and animation. The project lies at the crossroads of cultural
preservation, education, and digital experimentation since it turns the traditional
proverbs into visual stories that attract the interests of a young audience worldwide.
The paper has cited the Multimedia Learning Theory by Richard Mayer to explain the
importance of incorporating elements of visual images like bright colours, fun
graphics, simplicity and harmony in promoting understanding, memory and culture in
children. The methodology is the process of adopting the chosen Yoruba proverbs into
the short-animated episodes with the contextual translation into English and spreading
them over social media platforms that people could easily access. The method does not
only encourage intergenerational communication but also allows language
competence, reinforces cultural identity, and instills moral lessons within the Yoruba
traditions. The results support the significance of design in the process of making
indigenous knowledge more attractive to children in the era of digital entertainment.
Through safeguarding the integrity of Yoruba proverbs and modifying them to fit into
the modern consumption, Àwòrán Òwe is able to exhibit the possibility of social media
as a mode of cultural learning. Finally, the research suggests design-based approaches
to connect the traditional knowledge with contemporary education in the globalized
among children whose learning habits are becoming affected by social networking
sites like Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp. In this regard, the issue of conservation
of indigenous knowledge has taken center stage with the current culture of
transmission of knowledge through traditional means being eroded by the new
generation. In this paper, I introduce Àwòrán Òwe (Proverbs in Pictures) a current
research and creative experiment aimed at teaching children Yoruba proverbs using
visual design, illustration and animation. The project lies at the crossroads of cultural
preservation, education, and digital experimentation since it turns the traditional
proverbs into visual stories that attract the interests of a young audience worldwide.
The paper has cited the Multimedia Learning Theory by Richard Mayer to explain the
importance of incorporating elements of visual images like bright colours, fun
graphics, simplicity and harmony in promoting understanding, memory and culture in
children. The methodology is the process of adopting the chosen Yoruba proverbs into
the short-animated episodes with the contextual translation into English and spreading
them over social media platforms that people could easily access. The method does not
only encourage intergenerational communication but also allows language
competence, reinforces cultural identity, and instills moral lessons within the Yoruba
traditions. The results support the significance of design in the process of making
indigenous knowledge more attractive to children in the era of digital entertainment.
Through safeguarding the integrity of Yoruba proverbs and modifying them to fit into
the modern consumption, Àwòrán Òwe is able to exhibit the possibility of social media
as a mode of cultural learning. Finally, the research suggests design-based approaches
to connect the traditional knowledge with contemporary education in the globalized
